Ardis VanFossan has only been modeling for a few years but the 24 year old has been growing her portfolio nicely. She must be doing pretty well so far as the Detroit native is making over $250,000 per year. Well, that’s accordingly to her myspace page.

Ardis is also a makeup artist so if anyone other models need a makeup artist then she is also amazing the other side of the camera.

Check out her ModelMayhem page.

Once we begin to move away from this clamorous demand for hydrocarbons, we won’t be pumping poisonous gas into the atmosphere at such a horrible rate, and there won’t be so much fuss about who’s in control of certain patches of land (although the Sahara might become a hotly contested source of Solar energy collection), and we’ll all get to drive lovely cars like this lot. Given the phenomenal rates of efficiency that you get from an electric motor these days (the fastest of them gets the equivalent of 170 mpg)  and the comparative costs of the same amount of energy out of the wall-socket and the petrol pump, I’m quite looking forward to it. Here are some of the front-runners in the upcoming generation of battery powered vehicles.

Wrightspeed X1

This is a track-day racer being developed in California; if the lines look familiar, it’s because they are using the chassis from the Ariel Atom. This is matched up to a motor that evolves 150kW (about 205hp) to give it a 0-60 time of 3.07 seconds, and a 0-100 of 6.87 seconds. The power of an electric motor is available almost equally throughout the rev range, so full acceleration is always on tap with a press of the right foot. It’s not in production yet, unfortunately.

Electric Lightning GT

A very slinky looking GT coupe from British company Lightning. Boasting 700bhp and a 0-60 time of 4 seconds, the only thing to choose between this little number and an Aston Martin would seem to be the limited range of the battery. I rather imagine gliding the GT silently up to the lights next to a banker in his GT3 might raise some eyebrows. Expect to see the great and the good climbing out of these at movie premieres soon.

Tesla Model S

TechCrunch reporting in the above link, on the decidedly real-world, very much in production Tesla S. If you’re an American, you can put your name down to spend $50,000 on what is very soon going to be Hollywood’s hottest ride. It has the official endorsement that comes with being test-driven by the Governator, and lends the lie to the bleating demands for money that are coming from the rest of the embattled American car industry, having just sold out the company’s entire production capacity for their first year.

Mercedes Electric S-Class

If these upstart manufacturer are not for you, and you want the reassurance of a marque you can rely on, then a little patience might see you able to buy a battery powered S-Class. They’re testing it at the moment, and have it’s range up to the 120 mile mark, another few years research will see charge times falling and power to weight ratios grow enough for Merc to make a practically useful car; look at the phenomenal rate of development of mobile phone batteries once they came into common use.

Tata Indica Vista EV

If you’re short on either patience or cash, and prepared to abandon any illusions of glamour, you may prefer to look to Indian manufacturer Tata to sell you your new ride. They’re the guys who bought Mercede’s old bodywork machinery off them, and used it to build the first incarnation of their TL pickup truck.  Their native indian market is rather different to the one in the West, and they’ve been innovating without shame, this battery powered incarnation of their little saloon, and the RS, a one Lakh (10,000) rupee car, on the market now for £1,300.

GoinGreen G-Wiz

The G-Wiz is a ridiculous looking little thing, but it’s becoming more and more popular for a reason; it’s a really convenient, sensible option as a town car. The size of a smart car, two reasonably sized human beings can get into it with a load of Tesco bags, and you can plug it into a 13 amp socket. As long as you don’t intend to travel long distances, it’s perfect, and in town you can park 3 of them in a normal parking space. I will say that the only time I’ve ever had my hands on one was trying to push it off Shepherd’s Bush roundabout where it had broken down, but this is undoubtedly an unrepresentative experience.

Tamiya – Nissan Electric GTR

Now we’re talking! In full production now, using proven technology, and for sale at a mere £107.50, this racer is within everybody’s budget. Obviously it’s only 1/10th scale, but it’s still great fun to drive.

Take a look and let us know the one you fancy the most.

1. Audi Locus

Audi Locus designed by Ugur Sahin is a concept car envisioned to have a curvy structure and the main characteristics of the design are the way its surface shapes are formed with a continuous flow from front until the back of the car.

2. Peugeot e-Motion

Peugeot e-Motion is an electric-powered sportscar with a design characterized by the combination of concave and convex surfaces. The dynamic look is enhanced in the sideview by a sharp crease line which flows from the headlights, into the doors and continues with the rear lights.

3. Lamborghini Concept S

Lamborghini Concept S is a concept car designed by Luc Donckerwolke, the head of Lamborghini design, using the Lamborghini Gallardo’s floorplan. Shown at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. It was intended to be a modern interpretation of the single-seat roadsters of the past.

4. Mazda Taiki

Mazda Taiki was revealed at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show in October 2007 and basically sets a new ideal for the front-engine rear-drive sports car of the future and continues the evolution of the Nagare design theme, following in the footsteps of the Mazda Nagare, Mazda Ryuga, and Mazda Hakaze concept vehicles.

5. BMW ZX-6

BMW ZX-6 concept is one of the final projects of the Transportation Design students at Turin-based IED (Instituto Europeo di Design), which was developed in partnership with BMW with the goal of creating a car for 2015.

6. Toyota 4WingX

Toyota 4WingX was one of the ten design proposals idealized and presented by students of the Transportation Design Course of IED Turin which makes use of the same hybrid power technology found in the Toyota Prius but provides a unique style and shape.

7. Mazda Nagare

Mazda Nagare concept was revealed at this year’s Greater Los Angeles International Auto Show and is the first of a series of design concepts that Mazda will showcase this global auto show season, including Los Angeles, Detroit, Geneva and Tokyo.

8. Audi O

Audi O concept was designed by Ondrej Jirec, a design student from the Czech Republic who is beginning studies at the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California in 2008. It was designed to fuse a powerful and innovative audio system with a stylish and sporty four-seat hatchback.

9. BMW Snug

Snug is a concept which aims to create a sense of community: a simple, fun object, designed for people who appreciate personal relationships, people who are different from the others, in their opinions and in their feelings.

10 .Lexus LF-A Roadster

The LF-A is a 2-door exotic concept car built as a prospective halo car for the Lexus division. Integrating the simple elegance of the new Lexus design initiative with racing–inspired style, sculpted curves and fluid lines make a dynamic statement.